A torte is a rich, usually multilayered, cake that is filled with buttercreams, mousses, jams or fruits. Ordinarily, the cooled torte is glazed and garnished . A torte is made with little to no flour, but instead with ground nuts or breadcrumbs, as well as sugar, eggs, and flavorings.

Origin

Tortes are Central Europe

Central Europe

Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...

an in origin. The word torte is derived from the German word Torte , which was derived from the Italian word torta, which was used to describe a round cake or bread.

The most well-known of the typical tortes include the Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n Sachertorte

Sachertorte

Sachertorte is a chocolate cake. It was invented by chance by Austrian Jewish Franz Sacher in 1832 for Klemens Wenzel von Metternich in Vienna, Austria. It is one of the most famous Viennese culinary specialties. The Original Sachertorte is only made in Vienna and Salzburg, and it is shipped from...

 and Linzertorte, the German Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte and the many-layered Hungarian Dobos torte. But other well-known European confections are also tortes, such as the French Gâteau St. Honoré

St. Honoré Cake

St. Honoré Cake is named for the French patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs, Saint Honoré or Honoratus , bishop of Amiens.This classic French dessert is a circle of puff pastry at its base with a ring of pâte à choux piped on the outer edge...

. Tortes are commonly baked in a Springform pan

Springform pan

A springform pan is a type of bakeware that features sides that can be removed from the base. Springform refers to the construction style of this pan. The base and the sides are separate pieces that are held together when the base is aligned with a groove that rings the bottom of the walls. The pan...

.

An element common to most tortes is sweet icing

Icing (food)

Icing, also called frosting in the United States, is a sweet often creamy glaze made of sugar with a liquid such as water or milk, that is often enriched with ingredients such as butter, egg whites, cream cheese, or flavorings and is used to cover or decorate baked goods, such as cakes or cookies...

. (Exceptions include several French

French cuisine

French cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from France that has developed from centuries of social change. In the Middle Ages, Guillaume Tirel , a court chef, authored Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of Medieval France...

 tortes, such as Gâteau Mercédès and Gâteau Alcazar.) When the cake is layered, a thick covering of icing is placed between the layers, and there is almost always icing on the tops and sides of the torte. A number of European tortes do not have layers.

Well-known European tortes

• Esterhazy torte
  Esterházy torte
  Esterházy torte is a Hungarian and Austrian cake named after Paul III Anton, Prince Esterházy, a hugely wealthy prince and diplomat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It has become one of the most famous cakes in Europe....
  
  
• Dobos torte
• Gâteau Mercédès
• Gâteau Pithiviers
• Gâteau Progrès
• Linzer torte
  Linzer Torte
  The Linzer Torte is an Austrian torte with a lattice design on top of the pastry. It is named after the city of Linz, Austria....
  
  
• Napoleon Torte
• Reform Torte
• Prinzregententorte
  Prinzregententorte
  Prinzregententorte is a bavarian cake, which consists of at least six thin layers of sponge cake interlaid with chocolate buttercream. The exterior is covered in a dark chocolate glaze....
  
  
• Sacher torte
• Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest cake)
• St. Honoré Cake
  St. Honoré Cake
  St. Honoré Cake is named for the French patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs, Saint Honoré or Honoratus , bishop of Amiens.This classic French dessert is a circle of puff pastry at its base with a ring of pâte à choux piped on the outer edge...
  
  
• Tarta de Santiago
  Tarta de Santiago
  Tarta de Santiago is a famous type of almond cake or pie from Galicia, literally meaning cake of St. James, invented in the Middle Ages. The Galician name for cake is Torta whilst it is often referred to Tarta, which is the Spanish word. The filling principally consists of ground almonds, eggs and...
  
  
• Vasa's Torte

External links

• torte recipe at The Times Nov. 24 2007